Three strikes–a present from The Ghost of Christmas Clinton

December 15, 2009

One of the things I find so frustrating about “three strikes and you’re out” is the lack of creativity it displays. A bright idea from the Clinton years that didn’t work for crime and here it is popping up in the digital Britain debate like a middle-aged, overweight boxer trying out for the Olympic team.

In tumultuous times like these, the Government should not be throwing ropes to flailing David Geffens as they sink into the mud. David Geffen thinks that it is vitally important to the future of capitalism that he and his business model be kept alive indefinitely. Why? Because the vast majority of people, including many musicians, still believe that there is no alternative to that business model.

This would obviously be a terrible thing if it were true. But it’s not true.

The advances we’ve made because of technology have suddenly given consumers a dizzying, disproportionate amount of power, and everyone’s still trying to find their feet. But my instinct is that the new connectedness of the world means that there are a million new ways to address the new reality, if only we can calm down enough to bring to the matter a bit of creativity and actually set about finding them.

The importance of creativity is the reason politicians are the LAST people on earth who should be anywhere near this debate, and it’s why I’m always amazed to see artists siding with Mandelson on it.